Manufacture of explosive materials



P.` LANDRIN. MNUFACTURE 0F EXPL'OSIVE MATERIALS.

APPLICATION "man JANal Patented Mar. 23,1920.

PAUL LANDRIN, vOE LYON, FRANCE.

MANUFCTURE OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS.

Application led January 31, 1918.

To all lwhom t may concern Be it known that I, PAUL LANDRIN,Iof 117 Rue Tronchet, at Lyon, Department of the Rhone, in France, citizen of the Frenchv .Repub-llc, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to the Manufacture of Explosive Materials; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same.

For the charging of certain war projectiles, eutectic mixtures of nitrated explosives are used, having melted points sufficientlylow for molten explosive to be easily able to be either poured into the projectile or cast into( a form suitable for direct use. 1

The objects of the process hereinafter described are: (l) to put the. molten explosive mechanically into a solid form, perfectly homogeneous and very compact, as favorable to re-melting as to direct use; (2) to act in such a way that there is no emanation in the factory so as to prevent the poisoning that arises from certain lconstituents of the explosives.

The invention consists :in pouring the molten explosive obtained by the usual methods .on to a bed of explosive in solid fragments kept in motion in a horizontal cylinder rotating about its axis and cooled by a current of air. These fragments are used for starting the apparatus and if one has not at his /disposala vcertain amount of previously granulated explosive obtained from any other apparatus,.it is necessary to get them by breaking up by hand on atable or the like, some solid explosive. The size o-f the fragmentsmay be from 3 to 10 millimeters 1n d1ameter,-just as it' Ais made by thev old methods in'order to solidify the molten explosive before lit is sent to the shop where the shells are lled.

The fragments' use'd atl the beginning act as kernels for thespherical grains which are formed. When Ithe apparatus has been working duringseveral hours and produced a certain amount of explosive, the 'weight of which is several times the weight of the fragments ,put in, it is apparent that they have disappeared, but at'the bottom of the cylinder, at the air-outlet end, very small grains are newly formed on account .of the Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Mal. 23, 1920.

Serial No. 214,651.

Ibreaking up of the larger grains, Which the heated air in this part has rendered more easily b-reakable. slowly toward the exit where cold air is admitted, increasing them in bulk, for,as theyget harder by cooling, they do not break down. The current of air must be regulated according to the temper-ature of the room so that the breaking up brings the grains to the desired size. If, through lack of knowledge, during cold weather, too large a quantity of air is admitted, or, if the explosive supplied is not hot enough, the result is that balls as big as the head ofa man would be produced.

The temperature of the explosive put up in this apparatus must be as high as possible, taking into account theprocess of melting by steam at the atmospheric pressure, practically from 85 to 90 centigrade. The cooling temperature cannot be given exactly because the air currentmust be just sufficient, as stated above, to obtain a Well-granulated product. Ordinarily, with the. size ofthe apparatus used in practice, the granules are ejected at a temperature of about 350 to 45 centigrade. By suitably regulat- The small grains move ing the temperatures ofthe molten material that is 'beingpoured and of the solid material that is being agitated by the rotary lmovement a spontaneous and continuous disintegration of the explosive into granules is obtained. It is then found that the apparatus can be fed indefinitely without seeing any change in the mean dimension of the solid granules, which flow away lin a coninder in quantities equal to the molten mixture poured in.

In order that the invention maybe clearly understood` reference is made tothe accompanying drawings in which:

quantities of .tinuous manner through one end of the cyl- 1gure 1 gives diagrammatically a gen.

. eral view of the apparatus.

" distributing tube 15, to be regulated. The

barrel or drum 4. in which the granulation is effected is mounted on circular roller tracks 5 supported by four rollers G mounted on two shafts carried by bearings. One of the shafts is driven by a motor and communicates motion to the drum. The other is loosely mounted in the bearings.

The drum is `filled with granulated explosive 14 up to the level of the discharge cylinder 7. lVhen the drum revolves the surface formed by the mass of granules forms almost a plane parallel to the axis,

When the volume of the mass of the granules increases the latter come and flow away through a cylindrical passage 7 into a hopper 8 and then into a cask carried by a trolley. The tube 15 is pierced with holes 9 through which the molten explosive flows on to the mass of granulated explosive. A cylinder 10, placed at the other end of the drum puts it into communication with a dust chamber y11 the bottom of which is formed by a trough 17 full of water.

A draft produced by a fan or blower 13 and directed through a chimney 12 on the roof causes suction in the dust chamber and consequently in the drum. The air entering through the orifice 7 is thus caused to circulate and to cool the mass of granulated explosive. A

There therefore remains in the work shop neither dust nor injurious emanations.

The granules of explosive are substantially spherical. Their diameter variesaccoi-ding to A-the tem erature ofthe molten 'product and the ve ocityY of the current of cooling air.

I claim: t

1. A process for the formation of solid granules of explosive material consisting in pouring the material in a molten condition. on to a bed of granulated explosive material while simultaneously agitatmg said granulated material and cooling the saine by a current of air.

2. A process for the formation of solid granules of explosive material as claimed in claim 1 wherein the granulated explosive material is agitated by rotating its container. *i

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

` PAUL LANDRIN.

Witnesses: y

FRANCISCO JAooiNE'r, CMAS. P.' PREssLY. 

